Sanitizing

[scorpien222]

When sanitizing my equipment I use around 1 cap full of Milton's sterilizing fluid (used for baby's bottles) to around 1 gallon of water should I be rinsing these after with plain tap water as the Milton's contains bleach or will this just be overpowered by the quantity of liquid going in to the bottle ?

 

[mcbaumannerb]

Rinsing with tap water would un-do the sanitizing. That said I wouldn't use a bleach based sanitizer for fear of any off flavors. I'd recommend getting Star-san which is a no-rinse acid based sanitizer. Stuff is gold.

 

[scorpien222]

I will keep an eye out do it but I haven't seen it in the uk.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

When sanitizing my equipment I use ... Milton's ... contains bleach

Around winemaking using bleach is considered an extremely bad practice ... one should avoid the habit of anything “chlor”.

Chlorine is one of the two elements that create TCA (trichloroanisole) ... known for the musty, moldy taint it causes, this is a compound that even in very small amounts is a really fast way to ruin a large batch of wine and so is a big concern in commercial fine winemaking. Corks are known to absorb TCA... this is “cork taint” ... natural corks also allow TCA to transfer thru them from the environment during long term storage. Bentonite and filter pads are known to absorb it too (viz. good storage practices).

Hypochlorite containing solutions are avoided throughout the winery; cellars, barrel rooms, tasting rooms etc. This includes avoiding washing equipment or anything else in a commercial dishwasher which uses hypochlorite as the sanitizer.
Sani-Tabs, Bar-Rinse, bleach etc ... are all out. Not in floor drains (chlor based floor washes or bleach), not for cleaning surfaces, nothing.

In fact when big wineries use municipal water, they actually use carbon filters to remove the chlorine and chloramine. We use metabisulfite. This is a good practice too for any wine which you are going put down to age if you do not want to take the risk of it possibly ending up smelling like a wet dog.

 

[andyn11]

I buy sanitizer stuff from my local wilkosons (uk) it says to add 4 tea spoons of it to 1litre and then put the lid on your bucket or what ever and let the steam goto work ... Also says you can do it in the sink for any other equipment used spoons etc

Then it tells you to rinse well with cold water

I dont see a problem with rinsing with cold water sinse most recipes tell you to add or top up with water before adding yeast

 

[Yooper]

For most winemakers, using sulfite is the preferred sanitizer. Winemakers have it hand anyway, and it's a no-rinse sanitizer.

The "dosage" is on the package, but generally it's not very much at all per gallon of water- 10 grams of potassium metabisulfite per liter of water.

You clean the equipment, and then simply sanitize with the sulfite solution. That sulfite solution for sanitizing is stronger than the sulfite solution normally added to wine as an antioxidant and preservative.

 

[scorpien222]

I buy sanitizer stuff from my local wilkosons (uk) it says to add 4 tea spoons of it to 1litre and then put the lid on your bucket or what ever and let the steam goto work ... Also says you can do it in the sink for any other equipment used spoons etc

Then it tells you to rinse well with cold water

I dont see a problem with rinsing with cold water sinse most recipes tell you to add or top up with water before adding yeast

Where abouts in the uk are you from ?? I am Nottingham and I will go an have a look for the cleaner you mentioned I have been using Milton's its like a baby bottle sterilizer and there is a faint bleach smell from it and then I have been rinsing them after which I now realize I shouldn't be.

 

[andyn11]

This is it

 

[andyn11]

I live near glasgow in the west of scotland

 

[scorpien222]

Ok cool a little distance away then lol and I will have to have a look out for that stuff I bottled my first batch of rhubarb wine yesterday and it's beautiful to drink straight after bottling I don't think it's going to last long oh well I have another five gallons going you might want to try it I have posted the recipe on here.

 

[andyn11]

I have some rubarb in the kitchen now either 1.5kg or 2kg my mum got me from a friend so thats gettin started tonight

And i have 2.5kg of blackberries ive picked over the past few days thawing out aswell so thats another start for tonight

Also have some 100% apple juice concentrate that i will sort out into a demijohn

All of them will be 1 gallon since thats the only size of demijohn and brew buckets i have

Bought 5 packs of wilkos wine yeast , raisens , oranges and lemons , tub of pectin stuff and 100 campdens tablets for my brews (thought id be smart and get unwaxed lemons ... Thought id get them as natural as i can)

 

[scorpien222]

Good call that's what I'm trying to do get everything as natural as possible are you going for the rhubarb recipe I have put on ?? If so you will need to go to a home brew shop and get some white grape concentrate it makes a hell of a difference.

 

[andyn11]

Nah am trying to stay away from "kit" ingrediants

Ive made 3 brews from kit and thought the whites tasted a bit to proccesed for my liking

 

[scorpien222]

"KIT" ingredients ?? This provides tannin and helps give the wine body.

 

[andyn11]

The rasins i will be using will provide the tannin

 

[scorpien222]

I buy sanitizer stuff from my local wilkosons (uk) it says to add 4 tea spoons of it to 1litre and then put the lid on your bucket or what ever and let the steam goto work ... Also says you can do it in the sink for any other equipment used spoons etc

Then it tells you to rinse well with cold water

I dont see a problem with rinsing with cold water sinse most recipes tell you to add or top up with water before adding yeast

I went in to have a look at this and the instructions still tell you to rinse with water after sterilizing isn't that still defeating the purpose ??

 

[novalou]

I went in to have a look at this and the instructions still tell you to rinse with water after sterilizing isn't that still defeating the purpose ??

What type of sanitizer. Some require rinse. I use k-meta, which I let air dry, then you are ready to go.

 

[scorpien222]

The one I am referring to is the one that Andy11 mentioned I have been using baby's bottle sterilizing fluid which requires rinsing as it uses a little bleach.

 

[novalou]

The one I am referring to is the one that Andy11 mentioned I have been using baby's bottle sterilizing fluid which requires rinsing as it uses a little bleach.

Bleach must be rinsed or you'll get the taste and smell.

 

[Insomniac]

Brewuk.co.uk now stocks both starsan and saniclean which pretty much ends the need for debate, though you may need to find a good source of distilled or RO water. That said a number if the sanitisers you find in shops here seem to be chlorine based and with good rinsing ive never had a problem. Our water over here is pretty sterile to start with, though I wouldn't directly brew with it due to the chloramine.